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Belén Gopegui

Biography

Belén Gopegui (2014). Photo by Monserrat Boix (Wikimedia Commons)

Belén Ruiz de Gopegui was born in Madrid in 1963. She holds a degree in law, and has written for several publications including El Sol before becoming an author. Her first novel, La escala de los mapas, was published in 1993 and was awarded two literary prizes, Premio Tigre Juan and PremioIberoamericano Santiago del Nuevo Extremo.

Hailed as the best writer of her generation by the late Francisco Umbral, she has since published nine other novels, several stories, essays and film scripts. Her 1998 novel, La conquista del aire, was adapted as a film entitled Las razones de mis amigos by Gerardo Herrero.

She is politically committed and has contributed to several left-wing initiatives, such as Asalto, an online literary experiment that came about as a reaction to the 15M movement in Spain.